Opinion: These 5 Post-Apocalyptic Anime Universes Are Way More Brutal Than Dr Stone

In post-apocalyptic anime, such as Dr. Stone, characters are typically isolated to test their survival capabilities under extreme stress. In Dr. Stone, a mysterious light turned every human on Earth into stone. While this world is cruel for sure, it doesn’t have any extra element that would make it crueler than reality, as Senku is doing everything humans have already done before.

In contrast, there are many anime that use the post-apocalyptic theme to enforce high mortality rates, psychological trauma, and tough moral decisions, in environments where intelligence doesn’t guarantee survival.

1 In 86, Human Life Is Expendable Ammunition

Unlike Dr. Stone, where humanity eventually works together to rebuild society, the world of 86 is about the administrative division of people and state-sanctioned execution. The Republic of San Magnolia is fighting a robot army known as the Legion. Instead of using their scientific progress to save its citizens, the Republic’s Alba majority strips the Colorata minority of their basic rights.

The government names these individuals as non-human and forces them into the frontline combat zone, known as the Eighty-Sixth Sector. In this environment, survival is highly unlikely because the enemy they are facing is not just the Legion but their own government. The described themes of this anime make this one of the best mecha anime as well.

2 In Alice in Borderland, There Is No Hope

Arisu from Alice in Borderland | Credit: SILVER LINK

In Dr. Stone, intelligence and working in groups are highly rewarded. Alice in Borderland places characters in an alternate, abandoned Tokyo where they must participate in death games of various types. While in some games, intelligence can make sure every player survives, there are also games that are designed so that only one person survives, no matter how many participate.

For survival, characters have to constantly betray each other, without knowing when the entire thing will end, if it will end at all.

3 In Heavenly Delusion, The World Itself Is Predatory

Maru and Kiruko from Heavenly Delusion | Credit: Production I.G.

The post-apocalyptic Earth in Dr. Stone is essentially a pristine, unpolluted wilderness. The day Senku created fire and modern weapons, the world stopped being scary. On the other hand, the ruined Japan in Heavenly Delusion is aggressively hostile.

Following an unspecified global disaster, the landscape is populated by mutated monsters called Hiruko that hunt human survivors. Characters are always vulnerable to both monster threats of the wasteland and the depravity of other survivors, making temporary safety nearly impossible to achieve.

4 In Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, Slaughter Is a Baseline Requirement

Mumei from Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress | Credit: Wit Studio

Senku and his allies have enough time and space to build permanent settlements, as they did throughout the world. On the other hand, the characters in Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress are confined entirely to fortified stations and armored trains.

The surrounding environment is completely overrun by Kabane, undead creatures with iron-caged hearts. Anyone who is suspected of being bitten is executed, and often, to prevent the spread of the virus in the body, characters amputate themselves or their allies, making it a horrifying reality.

5 In NieR:Automata, Existence Is Meaningless

2B from NieR:Automata | Credit: A-1 Pictures

The core philosophy of Dr. Stone is that human effort directly leads to a better future. NieR:Automata removes the possibility of a future entirely. Set thousands of years after an alien invasion, the surface of the Earth is a barren battleground fought over by androids and machine lifeforms. The human race is already extinct.

The android protagonists are locked in a cyclical proxy war that is engineered to never end. Their command structure routinely deletes their memories and destroys their physical bodies to maintain military operations. All combat efforts are futile, rendering existence meaningless.

While all these five anime stand out for their post-apocalyptic theme, that doesn’t mean that Dr. Stone doesn’t have its own threats in the anime. In Dr. Stone, the primary threat is on the moon; however, Senku Ishigami has already created his solution for that said threat.

Which one of these anime is your next binge? Let us know in the comments.